Children's Games, painted by Pieter Bruegel in 1560, shows over 90 games being played in a town square. For the last two years I have been making ink and watercolor drawings of the games depicted in Pieter Bruegel’s masterpiece Children's Games, from 1560. My drawings simplify the details to focus on the essential play going on.

To share the many parallels I found between this 16th century depiction of games and my own thinking around play, I came up with my own game—inviting people to pose in the silly, exuberant and odd poses from the painting. I photograph the pose and the website, www.childrensgamesproject.com, brings the images, the photo documentation, and the painting together in an interactive format. Through the website anyone can take part in the project by spending time with the painting, re-enacting the games and adding their photos to a growing image bank. The site has ...

Full Description

Children's Games, painted by Pieter Bruegel in 1560, shows over 90 games being played in a town square. For the last two years I have been making ink and watercolor drawings of the games depicted in Pieter Bruegel’s masterpiece Children's Games, from 1560. My drawings simplify the details to focus on the essential play going on.

To share the many parallels I found between this 16th century depiction of games and my own thinking around play, I came up with my own game—inviting people to pose in the silly, exuberant and odd poses from the painting. I photograph the pose and the website, www.childrensgamesproject.com, brings the images, the photo documentation, and the painting together in an interactive format.
Through the website anyone can take part in the project by spending time with the painting, re-enacting the games and adding their photos to a growing image bank. The site has a simple how-to section for anyone who wants to join this game.